Hawarden, Iowa– Quick thinking on the part of a staff member limited damage at a nursing home in Hawarden on Saturday, October 15, 2016.
According to Hawarden Fire Chief Jon Strong, about 8:21 AM, the Hawarden Fire Department was called to the report of smoke filling a room at Hillcrest Health Care Center in Hawarden.
The chief says when the fire department got there, they found that the smoke had been caused by a whirlpool motor in the whirlpool room. He says a staff member had the presence of mind to turn off the motor and open a window to ventilate the smoke. He said the smoke had pretty much dissipated by the time they arrived, so they just made sure there were no other problems and cleared the scene.
Strong says no injuries were reported. He says that the Ireton Fire Department is always called to structure fire calls in Hawarden, but when the Hawarden Fire Department got there, they told the Ireton firefighters that they could disregard the call.
The cause of the smoke appeared to me a malfunction in the motor, and Chief Strong reports that damage was limited to the motor.
He says crews were on scene for just a few minutes.
